The Latest: Benghazi suspect to face federal court trial

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the capture of a militant who the U.S. says was instrumental in the 2012 Benghazi attack (all times local):

4:50 p.m.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says a militant accused of involvement in the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, will face justice in federal court.

Sessions calls the capture of Mustafa al-Imam a major step forward in the investigation into the attack that resulted in the death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

Sessions says the government is working to identify others involved and hold them accountable for the “barbaric” crime.

The decision to bring al-Imam to the U.S. shows the Trump administration is continuing to prosecute terrorism suspects in civilian courts, even as Sessions and Trump have said such suspects should instead be held at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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4:15 p.m.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. will “spare no effort to ensure that justice is served” to the militants who committed the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

Tillerson is thanking U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence officials for the capture of a man they’re describing as a key suspect in the deadly assault on the U.S. outpost. Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three other Americans were killed.

Tillerson says he spoke with some family members of the four fallen Americans to “underscore the U.S. government’s unwavering support.”

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3:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump says a captured militant who was involved in the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, will “face justice” in the U.S.

Trump says he ordered the Special Forces operation that led to the capture of Mustafa al-Imam for his alleged role in the September 2012 attack that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya. Trump says the “four brave Americans” were serving their country.

Although five years have passed since the fatal attack, Trump says “our memory is deep and our reach is long.”

He says the U.S. will not rest in its efforts to find and bring everyone who was involved in the attack to justice.

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3:35 p.m.

A U.S. official has identified the militant it has captured in connection with the 2012 Benghazi attack as Mustafa al-Imam.

The official says American special operations forces captured al-Imam in Misrata, on the north coast of Libya.

The official says al-Imam was then taken to a U.S. Navy ship at the Misrata port for transport. He is being taken now to the United States.

The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

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2:20 p.m.

U.S. officials say special operations forces have captured a militant who was instrumental in the attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The attack resulted in the death of the American ambassador to the country.

The officials say U.S. commandos captured the unidentified man in Libya and are transporting him back to the U.S. The officials say the mission was approved by President Donald Trump and done in coordination with Libya’s internationally recognized government.

The officials weren’t authorized to speak on the matter and demanded anonymity.

The September 2012 assault killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

The attack was the fodder of multiple congressional investigations to determine what went wrong and whether the Obama administration misled the public on the details of the bloody assault.